


The Banker

by ariel2me



Series: Inspired by Fire & Blood [11]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire & Related Fandoms, A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-31
Updated: 2019-03-31
Packaged: 2019-12-26 13:42:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18283445
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariel2me/pseuds/ariel2me
Summary: Samantha Tarly and the founding of the Bank of Oldtown.





	The Banker

_His brother Lotho [Rogare], short a hand, was taken up by Lady Samantha, the paramour of Lord Lyonel Hightower, and returned with her to Oldtown. The Hightowers had not entrusted so much as a groat of their gold to the Lyseni, and thus remained one of the wealthiest houses in all Westeros, second mayhaps only to the Lannisters of Casterly Rock, and Lady Sam wished to learn how to put that gold to better use. Thus was born the Bank of Oldtown, which has made House Hightower richer still. (Fire & Blood)_

**_________________________**

Lotho Rogare made an elaborate gesture of bowing. “It is to  _you_ , and not to Lord Hightower, that I owe my life and my safety under the roof of this great castle, I have heard. No one else in Westeros is prepared to come to my aid except yourself, my lady, not even those who have benefited the most from the aid of the Rogare Bank in the past.”

Raising her eyebrows to impressive heights, Lady Samantha replied, “Well, you cannot blame the other lords and ladies of the realm for wanting nothing to do with you and with the Rogares, after the mayhem your bank has wrought on their wealth and fortune. Oldtown is one of the few remaining cities in the Seven Kingdoms where you could still walk the streets without being torn from limb to limb. I would not recommend you taking that stroll in the city, however. Even the people of Oldtown have kins and friends living elsewhere in the realm. For now, you are safest inside the walls of this castle, under my protection.”

After a slight pause, she added, “And under the protection of Lord Lyonel, of course. He was not so pleased with the notion of bringing a Rogare into his fair city at first, but I finally managed to convince him that it would be a rewarding proposition for both parties.”   

“Your great kindness and generosity in my time of trouble will _never_  be forgotten, my dearest Lady Hightower.”

Lady Samantha hooted with bitter amusement. “ _Dowager_ Lady Hightower, the High Septon would no doubt be quick to correct and remind you. I am  _not_  the lady wife of the  _current_  Lord Hightower, merely his  _whore_ , according to that old fool of a septon, who refused to marry us, and then threatened to expel any septon who would dare to do so. You may address me as Lady Sam, Lotho. That is the name I prefer for myself. Even the High Septon could not rob me of that name.”

“In Lys,” said Lotho, gravely, to his patron and protector, “we do not use such words as whores, Lady Sam. There are no whorehouses or brothels in Lys, only –“

“Only pillow houses, I hear. But tell me, Lotho, in Lys, what do you call a woman who beds and wishes to wed her former stepson, and feels neither guilt nor shame for it, and does not believe that she will burn in the worst section of the seven hells for her supposed sins?”

“You are Lord Lyonel’s most  _enchanting_  paramour, of course.”

Scoffing, Lady Sam said, “It is not empty praises and flatteries that I require from you in return for my generosity, Lotho.”

“Forgive me, my lady. I had not thought that you would require anything in return. Your generosity comes solely from the kindness of your heart, unsullied by the thought of any recompense, no?”

Rolling her eyes, Lady Sam remarked, “And you call yourself a banker? Surely a banker would know that nothing is ever given for free. Each groat of gold borrowed must be returned with interest, and each groat of gold deposited must pay out an interest. Isn’t that the most  _elementary_  principle of banking? I have been educating myself on the subject, you see, with the help of my sister the Lady Sansara, who has read more books than half the maesters in the Citadel, I would wager. Although books, of course, as I often remind my dear sister, could not explain everything, and would not be a substitute for first-hand knowledge and experience. Don’t you agree, Lotho?”

“Alas, my lady, I am no longer a banker. The Rogare Bank is no more, as you well know.”

“And you have your brother Lysaro the Magnificent  _Thief_  to thank for that.”

Sighing deeply, Lotho replied, “I will make no attempt to defend Lysaro and his reprehensible actions and predations, my lady. He exploited the bank for his own personal gain, to serve his ambition to rule Lys, and that is a  _most_  unforgivable crime for a man who has control of a banking house. You may spend the profits from your banking enterprise for your personal use, but  _not_  the money entrusted by the depositors. But Lysaro saw them all as one and the same, as one giant pot of gold to be spent as he wished. Our late father should not have put him in control of the Rogare Bank. That was a most grievous mistake.”

“Yet you are not completely guilt-free yourself, Lotho. It was  _you_ who established a branch of the Rogare Bank in King’s Landing, and it was  _you_  who continued taking deposits from the lords and tradesmen of Westeros even after  _some_  intimations of your brother’s treachery must have reached your ears.”

“And I have  _paid_  for that, my lady,” said Lotho, holding out his hand-less right arm. “Surely I could lay  _some_ claim to being redeemed?”

“Redemption is not just about punishment and paying for your sin. It is also about the good faith effort to make amends.”

“What possible amends could I make, my lady? I could not repay the lost gold of the depositors. I own nothing,  _nothing_  at all. Everything has been stripped away from me. Even the clothes I am wearing now are not my own. They are given to me by your mercy and your generosity.”

“You still have your skill, talent and experience as a banker, do you not? I wish to make use of that skill, talent and experience. I wish to learn from you, Lotho.”

“To learn from me? For what purpose, Lady Sam?”

“For the purpose of establishing the first bank in Westeros, of course. Why should the people of Westeros always look to the Free Cities for our banking needs? We used to rely on the Iron Bank of Braavos, and then it was the Rogare Bank, and now we are back to relying on the Iron Bank after the fall of the Rogares. We should be relying on one of our own instead.”

“Ahhh … so you wish to establish the Hightower Bank, with Hightower gold, which is not lost because none of it was ever deposited with the Rogare Bank, unlike the gold of so many other Houses in Westeros. You wish to be a wealthy banker yourself, Lady Sam, and you wish to enrich House Hightower in the process.”

“Why couldn’t it be all of those things at once? I see a desperate need for Westeros to have a bank of its own, and an opportunity to be the one to establish it. The Hightowers have plenty of gold to spare in the vault, which could be put to better use than gathering dust, while plenty of other Houses in Westeros, having lost their gold courtesy of the Rogare Bank, are in dire need of gold to borrow. The establishment of a bank would satisfy the need of both sides. And if Hightower gold is used to establish this bank, then it stands to reason that House Hightower should profit from the enterprise, like any other enterprise.”

“Your daring audacity is certainly admirable, Lady Sam.”

Her eyes glittering, Lady Sam replied with a half-smile curling her lips, “Or my  _impudent presumption_ , my critics and detractors would no doubt call it.” She added, “You will be paid for your service as my tutor on the subject of banking, of course, Lotho. I do not intend to make a slave out of you.”  

“Well, then, shall we drink to the Hightower Bank, my lady?”

“No, not the Hightower Bank,” replied Lady Sam, decisively. “The Bank of Oldtown. That name sounds far more august, venerable and trustworthy.”


End file.
